Planning

Hindolveston Parish Council Planning Protocol

One of the Parish Council’s key responsibilities is to consider all planning applications within its area of responsibility. In the February 2017 Parish Council meeting the Planning Protocol was adopted. This details the formal planning process that will be followed by the Parish Council on planning matters. Below is a summary of the main points contained in the Planning Protocol and is provided to give parishioners a general feel for the overall process only.

Application Process

Planning applications made by residents or agents in the Parish Council area are sent to the planning authority at the North Norfolk District Council (NNDC). At this point the application is logged, put on the ‘Planning’ area of the NNDC website for public viewing along with any relevant documentation. The NNDC also erects a Planning Notice in the vicinity of the proposed site, viewable by the public.

Notification Method

The NNDC will notify the Parish Clerk of any relevant application. At this time, the reference number and basic details will be made available on this website, as well as the village noticeboard. From 1st April 2017 there will be a strict 21 day period from the time of the NNDC notification in which the Parish Council may respond. The deadline for the Parish Council comments will be confirmed with each notice. The documentation associated with each application will be available from NNDC in the first instance and members of the public are free to download as required.

Consultation Process

The Hindolveston Parish Council is only a consultee to the process, that is to say it is consulted but it is not the decision maker regarding the approval, or otherwise, of any application. The purpose of the consultation is to consider any local conditions or factors relating to an application about which the planning authority is unlikely to be aware. Upon review by the Parish Council comments are passed to the NNDC for its review as part of the overall decision making process.

Where deadlines permit, planning applications will be reviewed during the scheduled Parish Council meetings in the usual way. When the deadlines prevent this, the Planning Advisory Group (PAG), comprising all councillors, will give initial consideration to any planning matters. The details of its duties and options can be found in the Planning Protocol but it should be noted that as the PAG is not a sub-committee it does not have to meet in public.

Regardless of any Parish Council involvement, comments can be made by any member of the public directly to the NNDC (via its website or in written form). Guidance is provided on the NNDC website as to how this is done.

Material Considerations

The Parish Councillors will review any input made by the parishioners which are ‘material’ considerations. These are issues that are, in law, material or relevant to a planning application. Material considerations typically include:

a site’s planning history (including previous applications)

roads, parking and traffic

a community plan or design statement (if one has been adopted by the Planning Authority)

development plan (including a neighbourhood or local plan)

archaeology

A councillor’s personal feelings about an application, or the applicant, are not relevant. It is the wider public interest in respect of the planning application that is important.

Decision Making

A decision on the outcome of an application is made by the Planning Authority in the NNDC, not the Parish Council. At this time the application record is updated on the NNDC website. The outcome of any relevant application is normally announced at the next scheduled Parish Council meeting for information only, unless specified.